A First Christmas
by Lily Hanson
Summary: The Holidays are a time meant for family.
1. Shelby's Gift

_Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers Dino Charge. This story is fan-made._

The holidays weren't normally Kendall's favourite time of year. She didn't care for the lights, the garlands or the Christmas specials. She had never believed in Santa Claus. She didn't buy presents for anyone, nor did she receive any gifts except for the little gifts her foster parents would send her in the mail. It was their attempt to keep in touch with her.

However, before this year, she had no reason to celebrate the holidays. She barely had any memories of her family at Christmas before her father took off, and when it was just her and her mother, there was no celebration. She got maybe a toy or two from the dollar store; her mother's last minute attempt to cover up the fact that she had spent all the Christmas money on booze. When she moved in with the Fishers, the holidays only served to remind her how she had no family of her own. She was just charity work for an admittedly kind family.

When she was on her own, she had no friends or family and therefore no reason to celebrate anything. But times were different now. Not only was Kendall expected at the Fisher's big Christmas Dinner, but she had the Christmas Party at the museum for her staff, which she planned on attending this year, and the Christmas Dinner in the Dino Bite Cafe with the Rangers.

Even better, she got to celebrate the holidays with Cammy; if Cammy would have her.

Sledge was gone. Fury, Poisandra, Wrench, Curio, the viviks and all the monsters were gone for good. Kendall had run numerous scans of the ships' crash site to be sure, and the few weeks they had gone without an attack on the city confirmed that there were no more evil aliens on the hunt for energems. The Rangers had won, and were now able to search for the remaining two energems without interruptions.

Despite that, Cammy was still terrified. Kendall couldn't blame her. She had been caught in the whole mess, with her life on the line. She had been burned badly by the monsters, kidnapped, and nearly caught in the ship's explosion. She had suffered nightmares since being returned home, and coming to the museum was a trigger for her.

Seeing dinosaurs was a trigger. All of the stuffed dinosaurs she had collected from the museum had been locked up in the attic, including Plesio.

But worst of all, seeing the Rangers was a trigger: all eight of them. Cammy ran screaming the first time Kendall tried to visit home. In Cammy's mind, if she was with the Rangers, she was in danger.

It bothered Kendall to no end. It had been a full week now since she had seen or heard from Cammy. Her parents kept her informed, and Kendall was happy to hear that for the last week before the holidays, Cammy was going back to school. Kendall was also glad to hear the burn on her hand was really starting to heal up, and scaring would be minimal. She was even happier to hear that when Cammy did go back to school, her classmates had a welcome back party for her.

But Kendall was not happy to hear that her little sister was still scared at night. She refused to sleep alone. She refused to turn off the lights at bedtime. Kendall was not happy to hear that in the middle of the night, Cammy would wet the bed because she was so scared of monsters hiding in the bathroom, waiting for her.

Her parents didn't know the truth. They knew Cammy was scared of the monsters, but thought it was due to the attacks on the city. They didn't know Cammy had been one of the heroes who saved the world, at the cost of her own sanity. And that was maybe why Cammy was having such a tough time. She couldn't talk to her parents, having been sworn to secrecy. And the people she could talk to triggered her fears and nightmares. Kendall wanted so desperately to help, but feared her presence around Cammy would only escalate the situation.

Still, that didn't stop her heading into the mall and looking around for presents for the little girl. She wanted Cammy's first true family Christmas to be memorable.

"What about this?" Shelby asked, holding up a pink dinosaur themed shirt. Kendall had invited the pink Ranger to come along with her on the shopping trip to help with ideas. It had shocked everyone when Kendall had asked Shelby, but the purple Ranger assumed taking another woman along would help with shopping for a little girl.

Kendall shook her head, "Nothing dinosaur related, remember."

"Right," Shelby sighed, putting the shirt back. "So, how exactly are you going to give these to her if she won't be near you?"

"I'll leave it with my parents on Christmas Eve," Kendall said. "She'll get them Christmas day."

"How are you going to visit your parents if Cammy's there?"

"We're going out to dinner," Kendall said. "Bella, Jon and I are meeting Christmas Eve while Jeremy and Tracey watch Cammy. Christmas Day, Jeremy, Tracey and Anna are meeting me for lunch."

"Not the first real Christmas you were hoping for, huh?" Shelby asked. Kendall shrugged her shoulders.

"It's what's best for Cammy."

"We never should have let her do any of that stuff," Shelby sighed. "An eight year old saving the world..."

"The worst part is, we couldn't have done it without her," Kendall looked down at a shirt she thought would be perfect for the little girl in spite of the dinosaur theme, and could only imagine the bright smile on Cammy's face were she to receive it. However, Kendall would never see that smile. Not only would she miss out on seeing her little sister for Christmas, but the shirt would no longer make Cammy smile, but rather cause her to run away in blind terror. "She found the purple energem. She brought it to the PlesioZord. She made me a Ranger."

"Ms. Morgan..."

"She built the Get-Bot," Kendall sighed. "Get-Bot is the reason we have the energems today. Without Cammy, we would be dead."

"We're crap heroes," Shelby muttered. She set down the articles of clothing she had collected already and placed her hand on Kendall's shoulder. "But you're a good big sister."

"She won't talk to me."

"Ms. Morgan, you held off Sledge to protect her! And she's only alive because of how much you love her. Chase was right, if Sledge wanted the energems, he had to keep Cammy alive, and that's what he did!"

"Chase thought of that..."

"Only because it's true. Ms. Morgan, you're responsible for rocks that basically control the fate of every living thing on this planet and Cammy is still the most important thing to you."

"I shouldn't have gotten close..."

"You let your guard down," Shelby said. "Until Cammy, you had no reason to trust anyone, right? You let your guard down for her. You opened up. You did everything for her you wish someone had done for you. Now, she doesn't even want to see you and you're still... you're still trying to make her happy. You're trying to be there for her in the best way you can. Maybe we didn't do our best to keep Cammy out of harm's way, but you're still the best thing that's ever happened to her. When the shock wears off, I'm sure she'll remember it too."

Kendall sighed; picked up the clothes she had for Cammy and took them to the register. After paying, she walked out to her car. Between the clothes, the toys, and the books, there was barely any room left in Kendall's trunk. Kendall jammed in the extra bags then as she slammed the trunk shut she turned to Shelby.

"Where do you want to be dropped off?"

"I'll... uh, walk home," Shelby said. Kendall frowned.

"In the cold?"

"It's not that bad."

"Shelby, your place is on the way back to the museum and my apartment. I picked you up; it's really not a problem driving you back."

"And I'm telling you, walking isn't a problem either. Just, look, I'll see you at the Christmas Party tonight, alright?"

"Whatever," Kendall said. Shelby watched her get in the car and waved to her as she drove off before she hit the streets. She had somewhere she needed to be, and she didn't want Kendall knowing about it.

-Dino-Charge-

Cammy gulped as she looked out the front window. Her mother was in the kitchen, preparing her some hot chocolate to warm up after school. Her father was still at work, but was due home soon. Every time Cammy heard a car driving by on the street, her heart started to race. The sounds from the car reminded her of the Zords and the sound of the engines. Cammy needed her father to come home so she didn't have to wait by the door.

Mrs. Fisher looked out to living room sadly. Cammy had not been the same since the attacks on Amber Beach, and Mrs. Fisher wasn't sure what she could do to help. She had taken Cammy to see a therapist; Dr. Fletcher was supposed to be the best in the business. However, Cammy refused to talk to him about anything.

"No! No! No!" Cammy suddenly shouted and raced away from the window, running upstairs to her room and slamming the door shut just before the bell rang. Mrs. Fisher sighed as she walked to the door to see who it was.

"Shelby?"

"Is Cammy home?" Shelby asked, stepping inside the house to get out of the cold. Mrs. Fisher looked up the stairs and then sighed.

"She is, but judging by her reaction... she doesn't want to see you."

"Mrs. Fisher, please, it's important."

"She's been through a lot..."

"Ms. Morgan's just spent the whole afternoon shopping for Christmas gifts for Cammy. And she thinks she doesn't read well, but she's not as mysterious as she'd like and... Not getting to see Cammy on their first real Christmas sucks. It sucks for her, it'll suck for Cammy. Please, can I just... talk to her?"

"She can't get much worse," Mrs. Fisher sighed and let Shelby walk through. Shelby ran upstairs and knocked softly on Cammy's door. She didn't hear a response, but could hear the little girl crying on the other side. Very carefully, Shelby opened the door and had a look around the room.

"Cam, it's just me," she spoke quietly, hoping not to startle the little girl any further. "I've got my energem, but there's no morpher, no Dino Com, nothing that'll imply we're anticipating monsters. Can we talk?"

Cammy sniffed, "No."

Shelby heard her little voice coming out from under the bed and sat down on the floor. She leaned back against the wall.

"You know, Ms. Morgan's been real upset lately. It's her first real Christmas with people she loves, and her reason to be jolly won't even look at her. Cammy, do you miss her at all?"

"Go away," Cammy begged. Shelby lay on the floor, looking under the bed at Cammy.

"I'm scared too," she said. "Every time I think I'm getting a headache, I start looking around for my energem. I think I've lost it and the world is going to end. But that's just me being silly..."

"I'm not being silly!" Cammy screamed.

"I know you're not," Shelby nodded. "You're scared, Cam, and I get that. But is this really the safest thing you can think of?"

Cammy lowered her gaze and shook her head. Shelby scooted over a little closer to the bed.

"We needed you back there, Cammy. We let you go after the PlesioZord and we let you put the Get-Bot in the pod. I'm really sorry we let you do those things, but you have to understand, we were never going to let anything happen to you."

"My arm hurts."

"I know," Shelby nodded and smiled. "We're all still hurting a little bit. But being with the other Rangers, for now, is really helping me. I feel safe with them. Don't you?"

"Sledge and Fury..."

"They're gone, Cammy, and even if they weren't... Do you really think Ms. Morgan would let anything happen to you? Do you think, if Sledge and Fury were to come back, that they would stand a chance against your big sis? When Poisandra took you, Koda could barely stop Ms. Morgan from marching onto Sledge's ship to get you back. Koda!"

"Really?"

"And she was the first one off the PlesioZord, and, I'll admit, she was the only one that went after you. She didn't care about the energems or defeating Sledge or any of that stuff. She wanted to get you home. And she did it, right? You're home, you're safe..."

"I don't feel safe."

"We're having the museum Christmas Party tonight," Shelby said. "Everyone's going to be there, including Ms. Morgan. She would love it if you showed up too."

"But..."

"You don't have to, Cam. She doesn't know I'm here. I just... I thought it would be a nice surprise, you know. Something to put a smile on her face again. I think... Cammy, I think she's scared too."

"Of what?" Cammy asked, poking her head out from under the bed just a little bit.

"Well, if you never want to see her again, she doesn't have a family anymore. She only gets to see your parents for the holidays because Jeremy's coming to visit and he's going to watch you. When he goes home, your parents are going to have to take turns seeing her. Just, one at a time because someone's going to have to be home with you."

"Really?"

"And, I don't know, maybe you get it, maybe you don't, but I think Ms. Morgan's got abandonment issues. You know what that is, right?"

Cammy nodded her head and came out just a little more from under the bed.

"Well, she's got me and the boys. We'll be her friends but... Chase, he's headed back to New Zealand soon. Now that Sledge is gone, he's going to see his family. He's got a little sister too and he wants to try and patch things up with her. She wasn't too happy when he left."

"Chase is leaving?"

"Tyler's headed out too once the holidays are over. He's still got to figure out what happened to his father. Riley's needed back on the farm. And... I think I'm leaving too."

"You are?"

"Tyler asked me if I wanted to travel with him. Well, it won't be travelling so much as looking for his father, but... I kind of want to go."

"Because you like him."

"You can't tell anyone."

"I don't have to. Everyone knows," Cammy smirked. Shelby smiled back and moved over to the bed, leaning against it.

"We'd love to stay, but we had lives before we became Rangers and it's about time we get back to them. The team is splitting up. Only Koda and Ivan are sticking around and... well, you know her better than I do, but that isn't enough for Ms. Morgan, right? Especially if she's only allowed to see one parent at a time and her brother's on the other side of the country. I think she's scared of being lonely again. You know, Cam, she was really brave for you. She fought Sledge, right? You don't think that was scary for her?"

"I was scared..."

"And she protected you, right?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you think she'll do it again if she has to? If Sledge did come back, wouldn't she make sure you were okay?"

Cammy looked down at the floor, "When I think about the museum..."

"I was scared to go back too," Shelby admitted. "But the museum has the lab, and that's the safest place in the whole city, right?"

"Yeah."

"So, come with me. To the Christmas Party, I mean. And if you get scared, I'll take you down to the lab where you'll be safe from everything."

"And that'll help Kendall?"

"She always smiles when she sees you," Shelby nodded. Cammy took a deep breath.

"Okay, I'll... I guess I can go."


	2. The Christmas Party

The main hall for the museum was decorated for the holidays, and most of the staff had shown up to celebrate. There were lights, food, punch, music and even a few drinks. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Kendall hoped she would be able to enjoy her party too. Her friends were there, they were in good spirits. Even better, they were all still alive and she no longer had to worry about monsters threatening to take them away from her.

Yet, Kendall couldn't bring herself to have a good time. Not when her mind kept wandering back to Cammy, and she kept asking herself how the little girl was doing, if she was okay, and if there was anything more she could have been doing.

"Hey, have you seen Shelby?" Tyler asked her. Kendall shook her head.

"Not since this afternoon. Why?"

"I... kind of wanted to ask her to dance," he answered, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Kendall looked up at him with a little smirk.

"Shelby in particular, or are you just too shy to ask anyone else?"

"Well, she's my friend and... Come on, Ms. Morgan, I'm not making fun of whatever you and Chase have going on."

"That's because there's nothing going on. We're friends. You and Shelby on the other hand..."

"Alright, so I want to have one dance with her. That's allowed, right? So, have you seen her?"

"Like I said, not since this afternoon. But I'm sure she'll show up."

"If you see her, send her my way," Tyler said before resuming his search for the pink Ranger. Kendall watched him go with a shake in her head then made her way over to the drinks table. As she was about to pour herself a glass, someone walked up behind her.

"Party drink or coping drink?" Chase asked her, pulling the glass from her hand. "Either way, I'm not sure I'm a fan."

"It's just one drink."

"And where have you heard that before?" Chase looked knowingly to Kendall, who sighed and turned away from the table.

"I hate my mother."

"I'm not a fan either," Chase chuckled. "She's just a kid, you know. They spook easy but they bounce back. You just need to give it time."

"I miss her."

"I know," Chase nodded. He offered Kendall a glass of the punch. "Come with me."

"I've got to keep an eye on the party."

"I know that. I meant, come with me to New Zealand. Just for the holidays."

"Chase..."

"You can meet my mother and my sister. It'll be warm, we'll probably go to the beach, and we'll have a big Christmas dinner. Just one, with the whole family. And you can video chat both your parents and Jeremy at the same time without leaving Cammy unattended."

"I can't leave, Chase. She might not want me around, but... I won't leave."

"Just a week."

"I'm sorry," Kendall shook her head. "If she needs me, I need to be here. The Fishers waited eight years for me. I can wait a few weeks or months for Cammy."

"You sure?" Chase asked. "I can have you on the first flight home if you need it."

"I'm sorry," Kendall repeated again. "I just... I can't do it, Chase."

"Well, if you change your mind," Chase said and reached into his jacket before offering Kendall a plane ticket. "You're more than welcome."

"Thanks, Chase," Kendall took the ticket, kissed his cheek and then set her punch down on the table before walking off. Chase watched her go with a shake in his head. He wished there was more he could do.

"Hey, have you seen Ms. Morgan?" Shelby suddenly asked him, appearing almost from nowhere. Chase did a double take, startled by the pink Ranger and then pointed across the room.

"She just left here. Why?"

"I've got a pretty cool Christmas gift for her," Shelby smiled and then pulled a frightful looking Cammy out from behind her back. Chase's eyes widened as he looked down at the little girl.

"You... You came!"

"Where is she?" Cammy asked, tears forming in her eyes. Shelby hugged her close.

"It took a lot of convincing to get Cammy here, but she's being really brave," she explained to Chase. "Still, the sooner we can find Ms. Morgan, the better."

"She literally just walked off," Chase pointed in the direction Kendall had gone, but could no longer see the purple Ranger. He frowned. "She moves fast, though."

"I'll ask around," Shelby said and held Cammy's hand as she pushed through the crowd. Chase followed, sticking close to the girls.

"Cammy, are you feeling better?" he asked her. "If you're here, you must be. Kendall is going to be so happy to..."

"I'm scared," Cammy muttered. Shelby stopped walking and knelt before the little girl.

"We're going to find Ms. Morgan soon, I promise. Then you'll have nothing to worry about, alright. You know, she'd never let anything happen to you."

"She's been worried about you," Chase added.

"She has?"

"Seeing you is going to make her day," Chase promised Cammy. "She's not been the same since... well, you know."

"Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Shelby assured Cammy. Chase nodded in confirmation and then gently took Cammy by the arm, inspecting the burn she had suffered.

"It looks like it's doing better."

"It's itchy," she whispered. "I'm going to have a scar."

"Chicks dig scars," Chase smirked, and Cammy looked up at him with a faint smile.

"They do?"

"They go crazy for it," Chase nodded.

"It's more the courage we're looking for," Shelby rolled her eyes. "But the bone head here is right."

"Ouch," Chase feigned being hurt by Shelby's name calling.

"Scars tell stories. You've got a good one. You just... won't be able to share it with too many people."

"I know," Cammy whispered, looking down at her arm sadly. "If I tell Jon and Bella, they're going to freak, and they're already so worried."

"All the more reason to find Ms. Morgan, right?" Shelby smiled. "She'll take care of you."

"I know."

"Let's check out the lab," Chase suggested. "She wasn't having fun at the party. Maybe she went off to be by herself for a bit."

-Dino-Charge-

Down in her lab, Kendall was leaning against the center console, taking some time just for herself to breathe. The holidays had always been a difficult time. She hoped it would be easier with her friends surrounding her. But every moment she spent upstairs reminded her of Cammy. She couldn't stop herself from imagining how excited Cammy would be at the party, with all the lights and the food and her friends around her to celebrate.

Thinking of how happy it would make Cammy to celebrate a real Christmas only brought to mind how badly Kendall had failed her. She had promised to protect the little girl from people and things that wanted to hurt her. Yet, in less than a week's time, Cammy had become the purple Ranger (though temporarily), run away from Fury, flown a PlesioZord, had hidden from villains who were tearing the city apart looking for her and her friends, built an energem retrieval device, risked her life to ensure it could do its job, was burned, kidnapped, and almost died on an exploding alien space craft.

If social services had been involved, Cammy would have been removed from Kendall's care and probably relocated across the country to ensure this never happened to her again. And Kendall couldn't blame them. The poor kid was traumatized.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered under her breath as she wondered if she ever would get to see Cammy again, and if she even deserved a part in her life.

"Kendall?"

She thought she was hearing voices first. Sledge and Fury had beaten her pretty badly. Kendall expected it to be a while still before hallucinations and voices weren't to be expected. But then the little voice called to her again and it seemed so real, Kendall couldn't stop herself from turning around. When she did, she saw Chase and Shelby standing just outside the elevator door.

But they weren't the ones calling for her. Holding both their hands, Cammy stood, looking worriedly over at Kendall. She couldn't believe her eyes as she looked to her sister, especially when she noticed Cammy seemed dressed up for the Christmas Party, as though she planned on staying the rest of the evening.

"Shelby said you were scared and sad and lonely and Chase said you were worried," Cammy said. "But... you'll keep me safe, right?"

Kendall nodded her head. She didn't know what to say. She had a million things she wanted to promise the little girl. At the same time, she had a million apologies to make. She didn't know where to start or what would help Cammy the most.

Cammy let go of Chase's and Shelby's hands, "Is... are they gone?" she asked. "Sledge and Fury and all those monsters."

Kendall gave a little nod, turning to the console. She brought up the map. Curious, Cammy walked over, taking a look for herself as Kendall ran a scan of the city.

"The ship crashed here," she explained, pointing to the mountains. "Every scan I've done since that day shows no sign of life."

"And if they ran away first?"

Kendall changed the map to reflect the country, running another scan. Cammy watched again until the scan finished and the results were up.

"No aliens?"

"None that my scans can detect," Kendall said. "And if there are still some around... I'd never let them hurt you."

"She can say that now," Chase added. "She is the purple Ranger. With her own Zord and Megazord."

"That is kind of cool," Cammy whispered. Kendall looked down at the little girl's burned hand, feeling guilt wash over her. Tears came to her eyes, but she tried not to let Cammy see. She wiped them quickly.

"I learn from my mistakes, Cam," Kendall said. "It's perhaps the one good lesson my father ever taught me. If I make mistakes, I need to fix them. Even if the possibility of risk to you was low, I shouldn't have... Cammy, I never wanted anything to happen to you. You need to understand that."

"You'll protect me?"

"I promise," Kendall nodded. Cammy smiled and put her arms around her sister before burying her face in Kendall's stomach.

"Good, because I'm scared."

Kendall knelt down, wrapped her arms tightly around Cammy and held her close, "You don't have to be."

"But the monsters..."

"They'll never hurt you again."

"I thought I was going to die. I thought for sure Sledge was gonna kill me and Chase and you weren't going to make it. I was even scared you wouldn't give up the energems..."

"Cammy, those rocks mean nothing to be."

"They could destroy the whole world!"

"I can get them back," Kendall assured her. "If I lose them, I can get them back. Cammy, I never want to lose you."

"You won't," Cammy smiled. Kendall looked to her happily, breathed a sigh of relief and then wrapped her up in a tight hug.


	3. Christmas Day

That Christmas morning, Cammy raced up the stairs excitedly. Everyone had promised her the night before that if she went to bed, she would wake up to presents under the tree. Cammy had her doubts, but her parents and the Rangers had never failed her before. She had done what was asked of her, and went to bed without fuss. Still, on Christmas morning, Cammy had to sneak downstairs, before everyone else was awake; just to be sure the rumours were true. She didn't want to get overexcited for nothing. It wouldn't be the first time Christmas had disappointed her.

She rushed into her bedroom and jumped on the bed, eliciting a groan from the body snuggled up under the warm blankets. Still, Cammy didn't care, as she proceeded to shake Kendall until she opened her eyes.

"There are presents!" she called out excitedly, "under the tree! Someone left me presents!"

"Go wake the others," Kendall groaned but she did begin to pull herself out of bed. Cammy, seeing she had one other member of the house up, proceeded to run to her parents' bedroom. While Cammy started to wake up the rest of the house, Kendall made her way downstairs. She didn't think she had long before Cammy dragged her parents out of bed and into the living room, but hoped there would be enough time for coffee. She smiled when she saw her brother had already beaten her to the kitchen, and there was a fresh pot waiting for her.

"Merry Christmas," he smiled, offering her the purple mug. Kendall accepted it with a little nod.

"Merry Christmas," she poured herself some coffee and then turned back to Jeremy, "You're already up?"

"I heard little footsteps on the stairs," he nodded his head. "I figured I'd get a head start on the caffeine."

"Good call."

"It's not my first Christmas with a kid," Jeremy chuckled. "Anna usually has us up around five in the morning. Cammy's a late sleeper."

"She had some doubts," Kendall said. She looked to the living room, seeing her sister in-law, Tracey, was already escorting her daughter Anna into the living room and giving her a quick reminder of how the morning would proceed. When the Fishers had travelled to see Jeremy, Tracey and Anna a few weeks before, they had celebrated Christmas early. Anna got to open her gifts from Santa with her parents and grandparents at her house. This way, Cammy's first proper Christmas would be all about her. The Fishers knew the little girl had received nothing but dollar store gifts her entire life, and spent the day watching her mother drink more than usual. It was about time Cammy got a real celebration.

Anna seemed fairly understanding of the situation, giving her mother a nod and a smile before tucking her doll under her arm and sitting on the couch. Kendall turned back to Jeremy, smiling wide, "She's a sweet kid."

"She's perfect," Jeremy smiled. "When we explained Santa would be coming for her early this year, she didn't seem to mind. And when we told her Cammy might get more presents this year to make up for the years she missed, Anna offered to give away some of her old toys. I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I got a good kid."

"Kendall, are you coming?" Cammy called excitedly into the kitchen, smiling from ear to ear as she tried to collect the whole family into one room. Kendall nodded her head and with her brother she started to follow Cammy over to the tree.

"Me too," she whispered to Jeremy. She sat down next to the tree while Cammy looked at all the presents with her name attached to them. They seemed endless. When she knew she was going to have a proper Christmas, she expected just a few toys. This went beyond her wildest dreams.

"We got you this one," Mrs. Fisher smiled, presenting Cammy with the first present. "We really hope you like it."

Kendall watched Cammy open all her gifts with the same level of excitement as the last. It didn't matter whether she got a toy, a book, or a pair of socks. Cammy was not only happy, but grateful. She thanked her parents for all their gifts, and thanked Jeremy and Tracey for their contributions. She also thanked Kendall, giving her the biggest, most amazing hugs every time she opened a gift from her older sister.

That was all Kendall needed for Christmas: she just wanted the very best for Cammy and to see the little girl smiling with pure joy and excitement. She wanted the little girl to be just like the other kids for as long as possible.

Even better, Kendall was happy she finally got to spend a real Christmas, surrounded by a family that loved her, and who she loved just as much in return.

"Here," Cammy said, snapping Kendall out of her blissful state. The purple Ranger looked down, seeing the little girl was holding out a purple wrapped present for her. "I made this, just for you. Merry Christmas."

"For me?" Kendall asked, taking the present. Cammy nodded and sat on Kendall's lap as she tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was an assignment from school. Kendall frowned curiously at first, wondering why her Christmas present was homework. Then she read the title of the assignment: My Holiday Hero.

"We made it in school," Cammy explained. "Mrs. Patterson made us write about people we were grateful for. I wrote about you."

Kendall smiled then noticed the assignment was dated for after the attacks on the city, after Sledge and his army had been destroyed in the ship's crash to Earth.

After Cammy had been traumatized.

"Me?"

"Read it. But, just in your head," Cammy asked, looking a little embarrassed. "It's just for you."

 _ **My holiday hero is:**_ _my big sister, Kendall Morgan._

 _ **He or She is my hero because...**_ _she takes care of me. She's my real family._

 _ **To thank this person over the holiday break, I will...**_ _show Kendall she was right to believe in me. I want to tell her that when I grow up, I want to help people, just like her._

 _ **Draw a picture of yourself with your hero:**_

At the bottom of the assignment sheet, Cammy had followed the directions, drawing a picture of herself and Kendall standing outside the museum. Across the doors of the museum, Kendall saw Cammy had included a banner for the mentorship program. It was the program the Rangers had organized with the money Kendall's father had given to her. It was at that event where Kendall met Cammy, and where Kendall had promised she would take care of the little girl.

"Do you like it?" Cammy asked, looking a little worried. Her gift to Kendall wasn't expensive or shiny. Despite that, her parents had ensured her Kendall would love it. Still, the little girl was fearful it wasn't enough.

But Kendall wrapped her arms around Cammy, kissed her cheek and hugged her close.

"It's the best present ever."

-Dino-Charge-

The rest of the day, Kendall got to spend time with her family and her friends. She had breakfast with her parents, Tracey, Jeremy, Anna and Cammy, and then rushed to the museum for the Christmas Party with the Rangers. It would be the last time they would all be together before they parted ways. With Sledge gone and there being no signs of alien life in or near the city, the Rangers were free to return to their regular lives. Riley was needed back at the farm. A trip that was only supposed to last the summer had gone until the end of the year. His mother and brother would be more than happy to finally have him home.

Chase was going to New Zealand. He had left his own mother and his sister with very little explanation for his absence, which in turn caused a rift between him and his sister. He was excited to be going home and couldn't wait to see his family. He had pleaded one more time for Kendall to come along on the trip with him, but she couldn't bring herself to leave. She had her own family to be with. However, she did promise Chase she would visit him soon. Once all the energems were found, she could take a break from the museum and do a little bit of travelling. She had already asked if it would be okay for Cammy to come along with her.

Chase was delighted. He already couldn't wait to see them again.

Tyler had to resume his search for his father. Since his lead with Fury had come to an end, he was back to square one. He turned to the next page in his father's journal and would continue to allow himself to be led by the book until he had answers. Kendall worried somewhat that he wouldn't like what he found, but trusted he would be okay. After all, Shelby had agreed to go with him.

Koda and Ivan were staying in Amber Beach. They had nowhere else to go. Kendall invited them back to her parents' place for dinner. Koda, especially, was happy at all the food he was being presented with today. His Christmas Lunch with the Rangers had been a feast, and now the Fishers were hosting one of their own, with even more food.

Tonight, quite possibly, would be the night where Koda found himself completely full.

Just after dinner, while everyone was letting their meal settle a bit before moving onto dessert, the family had gathered in the living room; everyone but Kendall and Jeremy, who had offered to do the dishes. Jeremy washed while Kendall dried. They had a good rhythm going, until Jeremy decided to hold onto a wet plate.

"The longer we're in here, the more we miss out on Jon's Christmas stories."

"You never liked those anyways," Jeremy smirked. Kendall snatched the plate from his hand, rolling her eyes.

"I never had a reason to like it. Or Christmas, or the holidays, for that matter."

"So, is it safe to say this is the best one yet?"

"No one's drunk, this house has fathers and a grandfather, children are laughing, and there's more wrapping paper in the living room than alcohol and drugs combined in the whole house... Yeah, I think I can say this is easily the best holiday ever."

"Your mother did drugs?"

"Anti-depressants; but the fact that she was an alcoholic kinda rendered them useless."

"Drugs and alcohol, and it still took eight years before she died?"

"Couldn't come soon enough," Kendall muttered, then shook her head and looked down at her hands sadly. "Though, she did the best she could, under the circumstances."

"She should have done better," Jeremy insisted. "You deserved better. There's nothing wrong with wishing you had landed here sooner."

"I just... I feel guilty sometimes," Kendall whispered. Jeremy stopped with the dishes for a moment and took Kendall over to the kitchen table, sitting her down. "She deserved better too. Dad was..."

"Hey, from what I understand, she got back what she dished out."

"But she stayed," Kendall said. "Dad was so horrible, he left mom and he left me and never looked back. Mom... at least she stuck around. At least she realized she had a daughter she needed to take care of. Albeit, poorly, but..."

"Mom and dad are your parents, Kendall," Jeremy told her. "They were always meant to be your parents. I know it. And... if your mom were still around and if she really did care... she would be here too. You'd have the parents who raised you, who gave you everything you deserved, and you'd have the mother who tried, and who I'm sure is eternally grateful there are people who managed to do for you what she couldn't."

"You think so?"

"You're a good kid," Jeremy shrugged playfully. "You always have been. I'm not your mother's biggest fan but you had to get those good genes from somewhere and after meeting your father I know she's the more likely option."

"So, you're not mad I wish she were here now?"

"Not mad," Jeremy shook his head. "Not at all. I wish she were here too. For you. Here for you, that is."

Jeremy then reached into his back pocket and pulled out a folded slip of paper, "By the way, I forgot to put this under the tree last night, and after Cammy's gift, I didn't think it was right to try and top it."

"Nothing tops Cammy's gift."

"I get it," Jeremy chuckled. "But that was her moment. I didn't want to interrupt. Anyways, here. Anna had an assignment too at school to make her family tree. I thought you should see it. Focus on our side. Tracey's got way too many aunts and uncles."

Kendall unfolded the paper and at first she wasn't sure what she was looking at. Anna's family tree dating back to her great-grandparents was listed. However, Kendall kept her gaze on the Fisher family, and then noticed something that brought a smile to her face.

"She's only met me once. Briefly."

"Doesn't matter. You're a real aunt. She asked if she could bring that along. Tracey explained it was your first family Christmas and Anna really wanted to make sure you knew you belonged."

"She really is a good kid."

"I know, right! I'm expecting woodland creatures to start making her clothes and cleaning her room for her when I wake her up in the mornings. Though, that first part wouldn't be so bad. Clothes are expensive!"

"Kendall!" Cammy suddenly called, racing into the kitchen with Anna right behind her. "Is it okay if Anna sleeps in our bed tonight?"

"Can I sleep over with Cammy, daddy?" Anna asked, looking to her father pleadingly.

"Yeah, a sleepover," Cammy nodded her head. "Please, Kendall! Pretty, pretty please!"

"I don't see why not," Kendall smiled.

"Same here," Jeremy agreed. Anna and Cammy turned to each other, smiling excitedly before taking hands and rushing up the stairs. On their way up, Kendall heard Cammy mention using her new jewelry making kit to create friendship bracelets for each other. A smile lit up the purple Ranger's face.

"What do you know: a Christmas miracle."

"I knew they'd get along," Jeremy shrugged. Kendall chuckled.

"Not that. Cammy's been having tough time making friends at school and... I was worried about her. You know."

"Because you were a complete loner growing up."

"Yeah. She wants to be just like me... I don't want that."

"She'll be alright, Kendall," Jeremy promised, giving his sister's arm a gentle squeeze. "She's got you. She'll turn out fine."


End file.
